Fresh Air and a Winding Road

She perches her designer sunglasses on her pert nose, wraps a colorful scarf around her neck and drops the BMW in drive. As she peels out of the driveway she thinks to herself that she’s had enough. Enough to eat, enough to drink, and enough of him. She’s done. Spent. She eases her car to the stop sign at the entrance of the affluent subdivision where they reside. She lives in a big city and she’s always hated it. She turns left onto the busy thoroughfare.

She longs for fresh air and new but familiar surroundings. Peace and quiet. And not one damn building to block her view of the horizon. She’s making her way out of town to a cabin she hasn’t been to in ages. It’s in a little podunk town he’s never heard of and he wouldn’t care for anyway. Like she gives a shit what he cares about anymore. It’s all about money and power for him. She only ever wanted to love him. Fuck the money. Fuck the power. Fuck him!

She’s been driving the winding country roads. Getting closer and closer to her destination. She sees trees and smells fresh flowers. She inhales deeply and is thankful that she can no longer smell exhaust fumes like in the city. She says out loud, he and that city are making me sick. Making me die a little. Fuck him! Fuck that whole way of life! She smiles and cranks up the radio. Sings along to a song by the Motels that was popular in her youth. She can still sing. By God, sometimes she even surprises herself.

Coming to a familiar bend in the road, the trees remind her of a covered bridge. She lifts her foot off the accelerator and applies the brake. She throws the car in park and steps out. Leaving her car on the side of the road, idling, and just like that wanders into the familiar woods. She lets the green of the leaves envelop her. She feels tranquil.

She takes off her ballerina flats and starts to run. Exhilarated by the feel of soft pine needles under her feet. The landscape hasn’t changed much since her youth. It’s still the same, even if she isn’t. She slows her pace when she comes to a clearing in the trees, looks up and views the blue sky. There isn’t one cloud or one damn building to block her view. She sighs with relief, knowing this is where she’s supposed to be. Bare feet and all.